Track A : recorded live at The Laurel Theater, Knoxville, Tennessee on July 7, 1979. Track B : recorded live at The Last Hurrah, Washington D.C. on July 15, 1979. Remixed at the Dick Charles Studio, New York, N.Y.

20 July 2012

A consummate musician with no stylistic boundaries. I've discovered him on the "Dunois Solos" which was also my first exposure to improvised solo musics.
He is in a line along soprano saxophone players as Sidney Bechet, Steve Lacy or Evan Parker.
Thank you Mr. Coxhill for your music and your impish humour.

An anecdote: "...used record dealer here told...that he met Lol on thestreet one day when he was in the city for a jazz festival. Said hi andinvited him for a drink in a nearby cafe. Lol was happy to oblige andsat for a chat. After a while, he took out his sax and a piece of paper.He folded the paper in half, printed Lol Coxhill on it, put it on thetable in front of him. Then he played a tune. On finishing, he put hissax and the piece of paper back in his case".

I'm sure that followers of this blog cannot have failed to register the passing away of Lol Coxhill last week. Regular followers would also know that we have posted Coxhill many times in the past. So, to commemorate his passing, here is a live set from 1985 with the Steve Miller Trio. Miller and Coxhill have collaborated in the past, most notably on two lps out on the Virgin subsidiary Caroline from 1973 and 1974, respectively. These have been compiled on a double cd on the Cuneiform label, with lots of extra material from what I read. Might be well worth picking up for those who did not get the original albums. Miller and Coxhill were part of the whole Canterbury prog jazz rock scene which spawned a bunch of outfits, among others Delivery, with which both were associated, and Kevin Ayers and the Whole World which made a memorable album called "Shooting at the Moon", featuring Coxhill. Happily, some BBC sessions have recently trickled out on cd and those with long memories may recall we posted a set from Holland a while back.

While the earlier collaborations were fragmented and ad-hoc-ish, this set here is one contiguous performance spread over four sides where Miller and Coxhill are joined by Tony Moore on bass and Eddie Prevost, of AMM provenance, on drums. The Matchless label is very much alive as an outlet for AMM projects and other specimens of British improv.

An intensely concentrated set, this one, freely improvised, no steady rhythmic backbone to discern here, Coxhill floating and gliding over the piano-led trio. Not as obviously whimsical as other Coxhill projects, but somewhat chamber-like with the type of close listening among the players one associates with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and similar British improv combos. Not the stuff to grab you by the throat, but to gradually insinuate itself with you. A pleasant listening experience, whose rewards are acquired cumulatively. On top of it all, Coxhill's slippery soprano.

This is for blogger chum Marc down under who might not have this one (and who is a Lol aficionado, of course).

The facts:

Steve Miller Trio meets Lol Coxhill - Miller's Tale

Matchless Recordings MR9 1986

Steve Miller - piano

Tony Moore - double bass

Eddie Prevost - drums

Lol Coxhill - soprano saxophone

Side A - Nigh-and-Sly

Side B - Nether Eye

Side C - A Largeish Quart

Side D - Nowell's Flood

Recorded at a concert given at the Bull and Gate, Kentish Town, London on 11th November 1985 which was financially assisted by the Musicians' Union.

16 July 2012

Many Thanks to Mew23 for his excellent contribution!
And I want to say thank you to Bernhard and to G (I haven't forgot YOU!). First G than Berhard offered a mp3 version of the fourth LP of this series (see here - go to comments for a list). I shall wait some more time before I resort to it. Maybe someone is willing to share a version in flac.
But before this might happen enjoy this:

9 July 2012

Four LPs by the Europe(an) All Stars were cut during their August 1970 tour in Japan. This is the first one the fourth and last one you'll find here
The list of all four LPs you will find in the comments of the fourth LP - courtesy of bunsen_lamp.
His listing sparked my desire to hear the others...does anyone has the other two: "Our Kind Of Sabi" and "Astrorama"?
Enjoy.

Having re-uploaded an "old concert" by Billy Harper, is natural to post a more recent one.
"The Cookers is an all-star ensemble made up primarily of veteran bandleaders and star soloists, including tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, trumpeters Eddie Henderson and David Weiss, alto saxophonist Craig Handy, pianist George Cables, bassist Cecil McBee, and drummer Billy Hart."

Rec. live at "Teatro Manzoni", Milan, Italy, on February 19, 2012 (mics recording)